Today Barry Baker operates Cornerstone
Fitness and Wellness with Amanda
Giles. When he was in the third grade
(opposite page) he started having
trouble in school. Doctors discovered
he had macular degeneration, an eye
condition that leads to vision loss.

s
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Wellness 7

Having a vision
Barry Baker overcomes eye condition
No one would have blamed Barry
Baker if he decided to feel bad for
himself.
Baker was diagnosed with macular
degeneration at age 10 and is legally
blind. He can’t drive a car, and he
relies on a cell phone that talks to him
and a magnifier so that he can read.
Baker’s vision is an obstacle he’s had
to overcome his whole life. But a different kind of vision has defined him:
his vision for his business, Cornerstone
Fitness and Wellness, which serves as
a testament to what can be done when
someone focuses on what they can do

instead of what they cannot do.
Ann Baker remembers how they
found out her son had a problem.
Barry was smart and loved school,
so when he came home crying about
a bad grade in Francis Dennis’ third
grade history class, Ann was surprised
but reacted as any mother with high
expectations would.
“You obviously didn’t read what you
were supposed to,” she recalls telling
him, but Barry insisted he had tried. So
Ann opened up a book and had Barry
read it to her.
“He started reading, and it was just

8 Wellness

Baker started
playing sports at
a young age. Far
left, he is shown
in October 1981
playing for the
Clanton Rams as a
nine-year-old, the
same year as his diagnosis of macular
degeneration. He
continued to play
sports, including
football and weightlifting. A little bigger
Barry is shown at
right as a senior
offensive lineman
at Chilton County
High School.

like…like he was just calling out
words,” she said. “It didn’t make sense
to him.”
Macular degeneration is a condition,
typically found in older adults, that
results in loss of vision in the center
of the visual field because of damage
to the retina. Those with the condition
can especially have trouble recognizing faces. Usually, enough peripheral
vision remains that a person can function normally, though tasks such as
reading may require special devices.
Ann said the family was “devastated,” but was also determined to
keep a positive attitude. Barry’s older
sister, Adriane, would sit and read over
schoolwork with him every afternoon.
“My parents were so great,” Barry
Baker said. “They did everything they
could to help me. I don’t know if I’d
have reacted the same way.”
Barry had other help, too. He chose to
attend college at Troy University partly
because several high school friends—
including his cousin Brad Moatts,
Jason Bice and Britt Culpepper—were
also going. Barry knew he’d need a
way to get around.
“Anytime he needed to get somewhere, we made sure he got there,”
Bice said. “But he’s that guy that

makes you forget that there’s anything
he can’t do. He’s so independent. He’s
so motivated, and he doesn’t feel sorry
for himself.”
That lack of self-pity is one of the
most significant reasons behind Barry
Baker’s success despite his poor vision.
Ann Baker remembers a conversation
with Dr. J. Randall Pitts soon after
Barry’s diagnosis.
“Son, you can do anything you want
to do, but you will never fly a plane or
drive a car,” Pitts said. “The rest will
be up to you.”
Barry responded, “I’ve always wanted my own personal chauffeur.” Pitts
chuckled and said, “He’s won the
battle.”
Attitude was a significant part of
Baker’s success, yes, but so was
knowledge, experience, a calculated
risk—and, again, help from the right
people.
After graduating from Troy in 1995,
Baker worked for a rehabilitation clinic
in Clanton. Word spread that the clinic
was going to close, so Baker made a
decision that would define his professional life.
Baker knew rehabilitation, but he also
knew training. “Pre-habilitation,” he
calls it.

“I thought we needed a place where
we could do all that together,” he said.
“We have some great football coaches
around, but they’re hired to coach football, not rehab a knee.”
Baker went into business with
Amanda Giles, who he worked with
at the rehabilitation center. Giles specializes in the rehabilitation aspect of
Cornerstone, while Baker specializes
in the training.
“He just called me one day and said,
“I’m thinking about going out on my
own, and I would like you to be my
partner,” Giles said.
Cornerstone has grown into one of
the area’s most successful operations,
employing about 30 people including full-time and part-time workers.
About 1,000 new therapy patients visit
Cornerstone in a typical year, and the
business averages about 8,400 visits
total for therapy. About 200 people a
day come in to use the workout equipment.
Cornerstone has an indoor basketball
goal and indoor pool, along with complete weightlifting, aerobic and therapy
facilities.
“I had an idea, but I never thought
it would be as big as it is,” Baker
said. “We’re larger and we’re doing so

Wellness 9

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Baker specializes in athletic
training at Cornerstone.

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10 Wellness

Wellness 11
many more different things than
I ever imagined.”
Giles said Baker’s relationships with orthopedic doctors
was key, as they would refer
people to the fledgling operation.
Baker also credits the employees Cornerstone has had over
the years. Vicky Martin is one
of those crucial employees. She
has worked as an insurance
clerk since the business opened.
“They really care about people
here,” said Martin, who also
worked with Baker and Giles
at the previous rehab clinic. “I
remember the day Barry came
in and told us what his vision
was. He was so excited, and I
was excited for him.”
Jason Bice’s son, Corbin,
accounts for one of those visitors each day as he tries to
further his youth sports career.
“I see Barry every day,” said
Jason Bice, who was a grooms-

man in Baker’s wedding. “I
trust him in everything he does.
He’s just that kind of guy.”
Baker, 39, and his wife, Tara,
have a 6-year-old daughter,
Anna Kathryn, and 9-monthold-son, Bryce.
Baker relies on a special
machine to help him read
important business documents,
he’s still “bumming rides,” as
he calls it, and Giles will often
read the menu to him when they
visit a restaurant for business
lunches, but he said he doesn’t
spend much time thinking about
his limitations on a daily basis.
What would he change?
“I would love,” he starts,
pausing to think about how
he wants to phrase the words
and gesturing with his hands
for emphasis on this important
point. “I’m going to get me a
TV big enough one day because
I would love to lay on the couch
and watch TV.”

In addition to playing football, Baker was also on
CCHS’s weightlifting team.

Labor of love
Mother continues fight for cure
Chris Gaines was a normal little boy
when he was born. His mother, Becky,
described him as “perfectly healthy,”
“smart” and “independent.” Up until
the age of 3, he was fine — until one
morning, she heard him making noises
with his mouth and noticed his body
was jerking around.
That day began what Becky (now
Lucas) calls “the worst nightmare of
your life.”
“He was fine for all those years until
at 3 and a half he started having those
seizures,” she said.
At first, Lucas suspected that Chris
had a tumor. But all of the tests were
inconclusive.
At age 13, his speech was slurred, but
he could still communicate quite a bit
until his mid-teen years.
And the seizures got worse. First, it
was every six months, then every three
months, and then three times a week.
Sometimes, he would have four to five
seizures a day.
“You never knew what to expect,”
Lucas said.
After a decade of unanswered questions, when Chris was 13, Lucas was
given the news no mother ever wants
to hear — she was going to lose
her son. At Children’s Hospital in
Birmingham, Chris was diagnosed
with Batten Disease — a neurological
brain disorder for which there is no
known cure.
According to the Batten Disease
Support and Research Association
(BDSRA), Batten is the most common form of disorders called Neuronal
Ceroid Lipofuscinoses (NCLs).
Symptoms include mental impairment,
worsening seizures, and progressive
loss of sight and motor skills. Those
who are diagnosed rarely live past their

Above, Chris Gaines is shown with his mother, Becky Lucas, in the hospital shortly
before he passed away. Opposite page, Lucas clings to a picture of her son.

early teen years; thus, diagnosis has
been called an “early death sentence.”
Lucas had never heard of Batten.
“I just knew in my mind that he had
a tumor,” she said, recounting that day
at the hospital with tears. “I told [the
doctor], ‘I can’t believe that you’re
telling me that a 13-year-old is losing
his mind.’”
Lucas said doctors told her she would
not be physically, spiritually or mentally able to raise Chris alone. But that
day, she resolved to take care of him
until the day she died — or until he lost
the battle with Batten.
As Chris gradually lost his independence, the struggle became exhausting
in every sense of the word.
“I always said, this old body could get
some rest, but your heart can never get
any rest when you’re watching them
slowly die and there is nothing you can

do,” Lucas said.
But a mother’s love could never be
exhausted. Lucas worked many jobs
to support Chris — cleaning houses,
painting, and more. But there were
people who made it easier. These
Lucas refers to as “angels.”
“The best help I ever had was the
workers from the (Chilton County)
Health Department,” she said, naming Lee Robinson, Geraldine Robinson
and Flora Chandler, among others. “I
never had to worry when I was gone.”
Chris touched the lives of his caretakers, from his school days up until he
was an adult. He always amazed them.
While he was attending the Chilton
County Learning and Development
Center, Chris would always smile and
compliment his bus driver by saying
things like, “You’re so pretty today.”
“She always said, ‘If I ever had a kid,

14 Wellness
I would want him to be just like
Chris,’” Lucas said of the driver.
One of Lucas’ favorite memories of her son is when he
graduated from the Learning and
Development Center and wore
his cap and gown.
Because Chris never got to
attend a high school prom, a
few years ago, she rented him
a tuxedo and took him to the
“Second Chance Prom,” held by
the Cahaba Valley Elks Lodge.
Lucas has pictures from the
event to remember him by.
“He was so handsome in that
tux,” she recalled.
Chris lived 36 years. At the
time of his death in January
2010, he had been hospitalized
for several days and went downhill rapidly.
For someone with Batten
Disease, Chris defied the odds.
Tragically, the disease robbed
him of most of life’s experienc-

es. Unfortunately, it’s too late
for any research to benefit him.
But for Lucas, he is the reason
she works to raise money for
Batten research.
The first fundraiser Lucas organized was a dart tournament held
at the Roebuck Elks Lodge about
12 years ago. Later came the
Fun Day Horse Show at the
Central Alabama Horse Club
Arena. Now, in addition to regular dart tournaments, an annual
golf tournament is held each
September at Lakeview Retreat
in Bibb County. Relatives Tony
and Connie Cochran organize the
tourney, and Kermit Stephens
allows the use of the facility.
“Words can’t even tell you
what Miss Becky [does],” Tony
Cochran said. “She is so well
prepared. She puts every ounce
of her being into that tournament…she took care of Chris,
too.”

Wellness 15
Chris would attend the tournament every year, clapping his
hands and smiling as he watched.
He would have his picture taken
with the winners.
“He was a good boy,” Cochran
said. “He was just a well-loved,
soft-spoken child.”
Needless to say, last year’s tournament was an emotional one
because of Chris’ absence. But the
effort goes on. Some participants
drive for many hours to show their
support in the fight against Batten.
This year, in its 10th year, the
golf tournament raised $4,309
toward BDSRA.
“If it would keep one parent from
having to cry like I’ve cried, it
would be worth all the work I’ve
done,” Lucas said.
While there is still no cure, strides
have been made. Some patients are
diagnosed during their first or second trip to the doctor, Lucas said.
There is also support through

the BDSRA. Families of patients
with Batten Disease attend the
annual National Conference, held
in a different city each year. There
they learn from others who have
had similar experiences, as well as
from medical experts.
“It’s one of the most wonderful
things in the world,” Lucas said.
“I was like a drug addict, getting
my fix.”
A stained glass memorial is set
up at each conference that bears
the names of those whose lives
were claimed by Batten, including
Chris.
While there is some closure for
Lucas through knowing Chris
isn’t hurting anymore, the scars of
Batten remain.
“My mother always told me it
was wrong to hate, but I hate
Batten Disease with a passion,”
she said.
For more information about
Batten Disease, visit bdsra.org.

Jeff State launches nursing program
Classes are in session for
the new nursing program
at the Chilton-Clanton
campus of Jefferson State
Community College, and
instructors are already seeing progress.
About 30 nursing students
started their first of five
semesters in January with
classes in health assessment,
pharmacology and fundamentals of nursing.
“It is a very defined curriculum,” said Dr. Cindy
Danley, DNP, MSN and
RN. Danley co-teaches the
Jeff State nursing program
with Angela Batchelor, MS,
CNS and RN.
“There’s a wide range of
things they’ll do this semester,” Danley said. “They get
a little bit of everything.”
The Jeff State nursing
program is an associate’s
program with standard curriculum that is the same
for students at all Jeff State
campuses and includes
classroom lectures, skills
laboratories, clinicals and
hospital visits.
At the end of the program,
Jeff State students will take
the same state board examinations as other students in
Alabama.
Danley said students in
Clanton are currently learning the foundations of nursing, which include taking a
person’s blood pressure and
pulse, checking vital signs,
calculating medications,
practicing sterile techniques,
administering injections and
using a stethoscope.
“We work with them to
make sure they are able to
do that,” Danley said. “We
have a teaching stethoscope
… so we can hear exactly
what they’re hearing. Then,

Above: Theresa Smitherman (right) examines Taylor Musgrave’s throat (left) after checking her
temperature in the nursing lab at Jefferson State Community College in Clanton.

we validate that they are
doing it successfully.”
Batchelor said students
will practice skills on each
other numerous times before
working with an actual
patient.
“They will learn how to
communicate with the
patients, how to develop a
rapport with that patient,”
Batchelor said.
Students will also have
opportunities to visit and
observe at local physicians’
offices.
“Other community resources have been extremely
cooperative,”
Batchelor
said. “The community has
definitely embraced us.”
At the end of each semester, students will complete
clinicals and work six days
in the hospital.
Clanton’s program will
incorporate a simulation lab
available for nursing students.

Home Health Care
It’s at the heart of what we do

Amedisys Home Health Care offers patients the choices necessary
to maintain and even improve their quality of life—at home, where they
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Care Management Programs.

Clanton, AL
For more information, contact

Ph: (205) 755-5509
Fax: (205) 755-9980
www.amedisys.com

18 Wellness
Teresa Chappell, a nursing student at Jeff State,
demonstrates the proper hand-washing nurses
must do before performing any procedure on
patients. Washing their hands properly helps
nurses maintain a sterile environment around
their patients in doctorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; offices and hospitals.

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Wellness 19
Before performing procedures on living patients, students can work on a model,
or “Medi Man,” which is
controlled by a computer
program.
Instructors can manipulate
the model to exhibit different symptoms or conditions, such as an irregular
heart rate, and students are
expected to identify problems and respond in the safest, most efficient way.
“It’s a very fluid environment and wonderful learning tool,” Batchelor said.
“We take it to a level where
they have to work as a team,
and that’s vital in nursing. It
gives them an opportunity
to speak up, flex their wings
a little bit and use critical
thinking skills in a very safe
environment.”
Batchelor said the program

Students in
the first nursing program
offered at the
Chilton-Clanton campus
of Jefferson State
Community College
started their
first of five
semesters in
January. They
are currently
learning the
fundamentals
of nursing.

gives local students another
education and career opportunity if commuting to a
different campus is not an
option.
“The fact that we are in
town is invaluable, espe-

cially with this economy,”
Batchelor said. “We have
had a tremendous response
to the program. The students
are very excited because
they’re so new into this.
They’re becoming a fam-

ily.”
Jeff State is offering advising sessions for future nursing students in Clanton on
Wednesday, Feb. 29 at 9
a.m. at Jefferson State’s
Chilton-Clanton location.

Story by Emily Beckett
Photos by Justin Averette
Right: Sharon
and Bill Russell of Clanton
opened This Is
Bliss, a massage
center and spa,
in August 2011.

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Wellness 21

This is Bliss

Massage therapy has rejuvenating effect
Sharon and Bill Russell, owners of
This Is Bliss LLC in Clanton, see
people walk into their massage center
and spa for a variety of reasons.
Some people are looking for help
with chronic arthritis pain, while others
are escaping from job-related stress.
Regardless of why clients walk in,
This Is Bliss strives to ensure they walk
out feeling the rejuvenating effects of
massage therapy.
“We have clients come in just for
relaxation, and then we have clients

come in because they have pain areas
that they need help with,” Sharon said.
“We have some that are chronic stress
sufferers. Their job is stressful, and
they need that stress to be relieved.”
Sharon and employee Ginger Martin
are the licensed massage therapists at
This Is Bliss, and their mission is to
improve their clients’ overall health,
one massage or spa treatment at a time.
“We help people cope with medical
issues as well as achieve relaxation and
reduce stress,” Sharon said. “We do

have some say ‘this is bliss’ when they
walk out. We love hearing that.”
Along with relaxation and stress
reduction, massage therapy can relieve
muscle tension, improve sleep, lower
blood pressure, nurture creativity and
increase stamina, Sharon said.
Sharon and Ginger do chair massages
for clients who do not have time for a
longer table massage, as well as separate foot and hand treatments, which
include massages from the knee and
elbow down, respectively.

22 Wellness
“We can also do spot treatments on
the knees, the elbows and the lower
back,” Sharon said. “It’s really good
for arthritis sufferers. It helps improve
circulation and joint mobility.”
According to Sharon, any type of
massage – regardless of whether it is
full-body or one body part – is beneficial for people of all ages.
“A foot massage is really good for
total body relaxation … because there
are points in the feet that connect to
different organs in the body,” Sharon
said. “If you can stimulate those points,
then you’re doing the full body even
though you’re just doing the feet.”
The effects of massage can even
extend to the lungs, liver and heart, she
said, as well as the shoulders and spine.
“Everything in the body is connected
through connective tissue,” Sharon
said. “When you work the feet, you’re
working that connective tissue, and it
can have a total body effect.”
Sharon said some of her clients come
with referrals from their doctors to

have massages.
“Massage therapy is evolving as therapeutic modality, particularly in alternative medicine, in areas of chronic
pain and lymphedema where modern

medicine has optimized and exhausted
all the options,” said Dr. Hirenkumar
Jani, an internist at Chilton Medical
Center.
“Although, long-term studies need

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Wellness 23
to be conducted to establish the therapeutic long-term benefits of massage
therapy,” Jani said.
Part of what inspired Sharon to pursue a degree in massage was her desire
to help people in a non-invasive way.
The other part was she hoped to help
her husband, Bill, cope with his injuries from high school football and the
military.
“I’ve always wanted to help people in
a healing capacity, but I have a needle
phobia, so being a nurse was totally
out of the question,” she said. “While
my husband was deployed, I was surfing the Internet and I saw an article
on massage therapy. If nothing else, I
would at least learn how to better help
him.”
Sharon and Ginger graduated from
Virginia College’s massage program
last year, and the Russells opened This
Is Bliss in August.
Bill is the office manager and handles
all appointments, paperwork and customer service.

But not all of This Is Bliss’ services
are confined to a building.
Sharon said she and her staff take their
massage chairs and tables to events in
the community, such as long-distance
walks and runs, to give free massages.
“With spring approaching, all the
weekend athletes will be going out
in full force,” Sharon said. “If you’re
involved in any kind of athletic endeavor, getting regular massages helps
increase your performance, increases
your stamina and helps get (out) those
knots that form in the muscles from
repetitive use.”
This Is Bliss staff will be at Get
Moving Jemison on March 17 to help
stretch out walkers and runners after
the 5k and to offer massages to those
waiting.
“There are so many benefits of massage,” Sharon said. “It’s recommended
that everyone get a massage once a
month to keep their body at the optimum level.”
For more information or to make

Above: A water fixture in the lobby (left)
helps create a relaxing vibe for clients
waiting to get a massage at This Is Bliss.

Home on the range
Blackmon started playing golf in 1949
Helen Blackmon has hit a lot of golf
balls in her time.
She’s walked a lot of fairways, driven
a lot of golf carts and made a lot of
putts. But most importantly to her,
she’s had a lot of good times.
Blackmon, 88, has been playing golf
since 1949. She likes getting out on the
course and getting some exercise, but
her main reason for playing is spending
time with friends.
“I’ve always enjoyed it; the main
thing is the fellowship,” she said.
Blackmon and her husband began
playing at the Clanton Country Club
after moving to Chilton County from
Birmingham. They arrived enjoying
playing tennis but soon found a new
passion.
They joined the country club and
enjoyed tournaments held there on
Saturdays.
“Ladies from other areas loved to
come here because we prepared the
lunch too,” Blackmon said.
There were also steak cookouts
in the evenings, and players would
come from all over the region—
Wetumpka, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and
Birmingham.
Blackmon was always athletic. She
played softball, basketball and volleyball at Phillips High School in
Birmingham, one of the state’s top
athletic powers at the time.
Blackmon’s best score at the par72 country club course is a 79. At
one time, she was so efficient on the
greens that she was dubbed “Helen the
Putter.”
Time has taken somewhat of an effect
on her game.
“My game is terrible now, and I admit
it,” she laughs. “I’m disgusted when I
can’t hit them as long as I could. I can
still hit them straight.”

Helen Blackmon’s best
score at
the Clanton
Country Club’s
par-72 course
is a 79.

Even if Blackmon doesn’t score as
well as she once did, she enjoys time
spent with a group of ladies that share
an interest in the game.
She fondly remembers Mary Lou
Seger, a member of the group who
passed away recently. After Seger or
Blackmon hit a bad shot, Seger would
say, “At least we’re not in the nursing
home.”

The ladies these days play mostly
at Alpine Bay Golf Course north of
Sylacauga. Blackmon said the game is
good for her health—but not as much
so as it used to be, before driving carts
became the norm. She remembers giving up walking the course reluctantly.
“We had to use carts to keep from
getting run over,” she said.

26 Wellness

Seniors ‘living well’
Members of Chilton County’s Senior
Connection are still going strong in
the Living Well Alabama Community
Workshop at the Clanton Recreation
Center.
The workshop focuses on chronic
disease self-management and consists
of two-hour sessions every Thursday at
10 a.m. for six weeks beginning Feb. 9
through March 15.
Senior RX Coordinator Christina
Doege of the Middle Alabama Area
Agency on Aging (M4A), said the
workshop creates camaraderie among
participants while helping them form
relationships with others going through
the same things.
“(It is) asking them to make some
minor life changes to improve their
lives,” Doege said. “It’s a continuing

workshop, (but) not the same class
every week.”
The workshops were developed at
Stanford University and have taken
place at hundreds of locations throughout the U.S., according to a news
release from Senior Connection.
Living Well Alabama provides participants who are dealing with arthritis,
diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety,
heart disease and other conditions with
real-world ideas and skills to:
•Find better ways of dealing with pain
and fatigue.
•Discover easy exercises to help
improve or maintain strength and energy.
•Manage their medications.
•Improve nutrition.
•Talk effectively with family, friends

and health professionals.
•Understand new treatment choices.
•Feel better about life.
Doege said this is the final workshop funded by a grant M4A received
from the Alabama Department of
Senior Services to promote Living
Well Alabama in M4A’s five-county
region, which includes Chilton, Blount,
Shelby, St. Clair and Walker.
“Our agency does offer a lot of different services to seniors,” Doege said,
Services provide assistance and support for caregivers as well, such as
advocates for nursing home residents.
For more information on Senior
Connection, call coordinator Vanessa
McKinney at (205) 755-9032.
-Story by Emily Beckett

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Wellness 27

HEALTH CALENDAR
2/28 | COLON CANCER AWARNESS

The Chilton County Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a Business After
Hours on Feb. 28 from 4:30-6 p.m. at
Chilton Medical Center to kick off Colon
Cancer Awareness Month. Everyone is
invited.
2/29 | JEFF STATE NURSING

Jefferson State Community College will
hold an advising session for future nursing students on Feb. 29 at 9 a.m. at the
Chilton-Clanton location.
3/2-3 | LIME SPRINGS RELAY FOR
LIFE YARD SALE

Lime Springs United Methodist Church
is having a yard sale March 2-3 from 8
a.m. to 2 p.m. to benefit Relay For Life.
The yard sale will be at 410 Ann Ave.
in the Brookwood Subdivision off Yellow
Leaf Road. There will be furniture, household goods, books, clothing, etc.

3/15 | CMC DIABETIC EDUCATION

The next diabetic education class will be
March 15 at Chilton Medical Center at
10 a.m.
3/17 | ST. PATRICK’S DAY PAGEANT
TO BENEFIT JUVENILE DIABETES

Irish Dream Productions and the Clanton
Police Department Auxiliary/Explorer
Unit presents the annual St. Patrick’s
Day Fairy Tale Charity Beauty Pageant
on March 17 at the Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center on the
campus of Jeff State. Entry cost is $75.
Proceeds benefit juvenile diabetes. For
more information, call 258-5201 or
email irishdreamproductions@yahoo.
com.
3/17 | GET MOVING JEMISON

Get Moving Jemison will begin March
17 at 9 a.m. with a 5k walk/run followed by a health and fitness expo from

10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
3/17 | TIME FOR A CURE BAZAAR

Time for a Cure Arts and Crafts Bazaar
will be March 17 from 7 a.m. to 2
p.m. at Oak Grove Baptist Church, 211
Alabama Highway 155 in Jemison. All
proceeds benefit Relay For Life.
3/17 | MINERAL SPRINGS YARD
SALE FOR RELAY FOR LIFE

Mineral Springs Baptist Church will hold
a yard sale March 17 from 8 a.m. to
2 p.m. in the fellowship hall next to the
church. All proceeds will benefit Relay
For Life. Mineral Springs is located at
8316 County Road 51.
4/14 | MISS YMCA PAGEANT

Chilton County’s annual Miss YMCA
Pageant will be held Saturday, April 14
instead of Saturday, March 3. All proceeds benefit YMCA Strong Kids, an an-

28 Wellness
nual fundraising campaign focused on
providing scholarships to children whose
families cannot pay for them to participate in YMCA programs. The entry fee
for the pageant and photogenic is $45.
The pageant-only fee is $35, and the
photogenic-only fee is $15. Registration
is open until March 30. A parents’ meeting will be April 9.
ONGOING | SENIOR CONNECTION
EXERCISE

Senior Connection holds weekly exercise classes Mondays, Wednesdays
and Thursdays at 9 a.m. at the Clanton
Recreation Center. For more information,
call 755-9032.
SECOND THURSDAY | COMMUNITY
GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP

A community grief support group meets
on the second Thursday of each month
at Hatley Healthcare, 300 Medical
Center Drive in Clanton, from 6:307:30 p.m. This group is open to anyone
who has experienced the loss of a loved

one. This is a community service of
ComfortCare Hospice.
ONGOING | AGING AND
DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER

The Aging and Disability Resource Center assists those 55 and older with disabilities. The center is able to locate the
following resources: dental and hearing,
utility assistance, Medicare/medication
assistance, nutrition/food assistance,
disability advocacy, and housing and
job assistance. Call 1-866-570-2998
to schedule an appointment. A representative is available every second and
fourth Tuesday by appointment only. The
ADRC is located at Chilton Medical
Center.
MONDAYS | CLANTON ALCOHOLICS
ANONYMOUS

Clanton Alcoholics Anonymous meet
each Monday at 7 p.m. at 208 10th
Ave. N. for an open meeting. The organization also meets Thursdays at noon
for a closed meeting (only for those who

have a desire to quit drinking). For more
information, call 205-217-2418 or
256-525-6340.
FOURTH THURSDAY | SOCIAL
SECURITY REPRESENTATIVE IN
TOWN

A Social Security representative will be
present at the Chilton County Department of Human Resources on the fourth
Thursday of each month. You may apply
for a Social Security card or a replacement card. For more information, call
280-2500.
ONGOING | BETTER LIVING CENTER
IN CLANTON

The Better Living Center in Clanton is
sponsoring a series of healthy vegetarian cooking classes starting Tuesday,
Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. This is a hands-on
series in which students cook under the
guidance of an instructor. Classes are
Feb. 23; March 13 and 29; and April
9-22. For more information, call BLC at
(205) 755-5049.

HEALTH BRIEFS
Relay For Life creating
commemorative billboard
Anyone who has lost a loved
one to cancer or who knows a
cancer survivor can honor or memorialize them in a public way.
A special Relay For Life billboard in Chilton County will bear
the names of those affected by
cancer.
“For $50 per name, you can
have the name of your loved one
placed in lights for everyone to
see,” said Aimee Eiland, Relay
chairwoman for Chilton County.
“It’s a great way to celebrate
loved ones who have won their
battle against cancer, remember
those who are no longer with
us and fight back against this
disease that touches so many.”
The Chilton County Board of
Education’s Relay For Life team is
sponsoring the billboard, which
Allen Deason of A&M Outdoor

Advertising is donating.
The location of the billboard is
not known at this time.
All of the proceeds will benefit
the American Cancer Society,
and contributions are tax-deductible.
“Every dollar raised brings us
one dollar closer to a cure and
to a time when the number of
people who have to hear the
words ‘you have cancer’ is zero,”
Eiland said.
The board’s Relay For Life team
has set a goal of 30 names, or
$1,500, for the fundraiser.
The deadline for this fundraiser
is March 1.
Checks made payable to American Cancer Society can be taken
to the Board of Education office
on Lay Dam Road in Clanton.
For more information, contact
team leader Kim McKinney at
(205) 280-2902 or Aimee

Eiland at (205) 280-2910.
Linda Hand named a Hero
of Hope
Amid all the doctor’s appointments, surgeries, treatments and
pain many cancer patients endure, a cancer
survivor – a
living example
of success in
surmounting
this relentless
disease – can
provide hope
where hope
may be runHand
ning out.
Linda Hand
of Clanton is a two-time breast
cancer survivor, and she has
begun planting her seeds of hope
in Chilton County and surrounding areas by sharing her survival
story as a 2011 Hero of Hope

for the American Cancer Society.
“The Heroes of Hope program
provides a highly visible symbol
of personal victory over the
disease, as well as encourages
support and participation in the
programs of the Society,” said
Keisha Pittman, an American
Cancer Society 2010 Hero of
Hope and co-chairwoman of the
2011 Heroes of Hope program.
According to an American
Cancer Society news release,
Hand was one of 20 cancer
survivors and caregivers selected
for the Society’s Mid-South Division, which includes Alabama,
Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Mississippi and Tennessee.
She was one of two American
Cancer Society volunteers selected from Alabama this year.
“It was such an honor for me to
be chosen as one,” Hand said. “I
like to give back to other patients

30 Wellness
if I can. It does give me a good feeling to get
up and talk and let them know that there is life
after cancer.”
Hand turned to the American Cancer Society
for information and support after her diagnosis, and now she is returning the favor.
Hand has served as an ambassador for the
American Cancer Society at two Celebration
on the Hill Relay For Life events in Washington, D.C. She has also served as chairwoman on the Relay For Life planning and
survivorship committees.
“I have been a Reach to Recovery volunteer,
when they partner a breast cancer survivor
with a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient,” she said. “Hero of Hope has given me
a different feeling toward that. I feel that I do
reach out to them more.”
Hand said she is blessed to be cancerfree now, and as a Hero of Hope, she has
already had three opportunities to share her
experiences.
“It is a year-long commitment, but it is a
lifetime honor,” Hand said. “I will always be
a Hero of Hope.”
The Heroes of Hope program is in its fourth
year. Honorees will serve as spokespeople for
the American Cancer Society in their communities, the news release said. Those selected
have triumphed over cancer, made signifi-

cant volunteer contributions to the American
Cancer Society and made an impact in the
lives of others.
“Hearing their stories makes a statement that
progress is being made in cancer research
and prevention, and that there is hope for
the future for people who are diagnosed,”
said Lee Adkins, co-chairwoman of the 2011
Heroes of Hope program, and a 2010 Hero
of Hope.
For more information about the American
Cancer Society, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit
Cancer.org.
ADPH monitors new cases of hand,
foot and mouth disease
The Alabama Department of Public Health
asks the public to be aware that cases of the
contagious viral illness called hand, foot and
mouth disease are more numerous and severe
than normal in Alabama this winter.
No known deaths have resulted from the
virus, although there have been hospitalizations and there can be some rare, severe
complications.
As of Feb. 10, the ADPH has interviewed
patients and collected and submitted specimens to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention for individuals with febrile illnesses
and rash.

Based on the results of testing done by the
CDC, the Coxsackie A6 virus has been identified. This specific type of virus has been identified in other countries but has not previously
been associated with an outbreak in the U.S.
There is no specific treatment for hand, foot
and mouth disease.
The public should not be unduly alarmed at
this time; however, individuals diagnosed with
hand, foot and mouth disease need to follow
the recommendations of their health care
provider to remain at home until they have no
fever, all lesions have scabbed over and no
lesions have appeared for two days.
The viral disease affects the hands, feet and
mouth and usually infects infants and children
younger than 5 years old in summer and early
autumn.
Symptoms are fever, rash, sores, poor appetite, a vague feeling of illness and sore throat;
painful sores in the mouth may blister and
become ulcers; skin rash, flat or raised red
spots, develops over one to two days; rash
usually on the palms of the hands and soles
of the feet and may appear on the knees,
elbows, bottom or genital area.
To prevent the disease from spreading,
ADPH recommends washing hands carefully
and frequently, disinfecting surfaces and
avoiding close contact with infected people.

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Wellness 25

Home on the range
Blackmon started playing golf in 1949
Helen Blackmon has hit a lot of golf
balls in her time.
She’s walked a lot of fairways, driven
a lot of golf carts and made a lot of
putts. But most importantly to her,
she’s had a lot of good times.
Blackmon, 88, has been playing golf
since 1949. She likes getting out on the
course and getting some exercise, but
her main reason for playing is spending
time with friends.
“I’ve always enjoyed it; the main
thing is the fellowship,” she said.
Blackmon and her husband began
playing at the Clanton Country Club
after moving to Chilton County from
Birmingham. They arrived enjoying
playing tennis but soon found a new
passion.
They joined the country club and
enjoyed tournaments held there on
Saturdays.
“Ladies from other areas loved to
come here because we prepared the
lunch too,” Blackmon said.
There were also steak cookouts
in the evenings, and players would
come from all over the region—
Wetumpka, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and
Birmingham.
Blackmon was always athletic. She
played softball, basketball and volleyball at Phillips High School in
Birmingham, one of the state’s top
athletic powers at the time.
Blackmon’s best score at the par72 country club course is a 79. At
one time, she was so efficient on the
greens that she was dubbed “Helen the
Putter.”
Time has taken somewhat of an effect
on her game.
“My game is terrible now, and I admit
it,” she laughs. “I’m disgusted when I
can’t hit them as long as I could. I can
still hit them straight.”

Helen Blackmon’s best
score at
the Clanton
Country Club’s
par-72 course
is a 79.

Even if Blackmon doesn’t score as
well as she once did, she enjoys time
spent with a group of ladies that share
an interest in the game.
She fondly remembers Mary Lou
Seger, a member of the group who
passed away recently. After Seger or
Blackmon hit a bad shot, Seger would
say, “At least we’re not in the nursing
home.”

The ladies these days play mostly
at Alpine Bay Golf Course north of
Sylacauga. Blackmon said the game is
good for her health—but not as much
so as it used to be, before driving carts
became the norm. She remembers giving up walking the course reluctantly.
“We had to use carts to keep from
getting run over,” she said.

26 Wellness

Seniors ‘living well’
Members of Chilton County’s Senior
Connection are still going strong in
the Living Well Alabama Community
Workshop at the Clanton Recreation
Center.
The workshop focuses on chronic
disease self-management and consists
of two-hour sessions every Thursday at
10 a.m. for six weeks beginning Feb. 9
through March 15.
Senior RX Coordinator Christina
Doege of the Middle Alabama Area
Agency on Aging (M4A), said the
workshop creates camaraderie among
participants while helping them form
relationships with others going through
the same things.
“(It is) asking them to make some
minor life changes to improve their
lives,” Doege said. “It’s a continuing

workshop, (but) not the same class
every week.”
The workshops were developed at
Stanford University and have taken
place at hundreds of locations throughout the U.S., according to a news
release from Senior Connection.
Living Well Alabama provides participants who are dealing with arthritis,
diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety,
heart disease and other conditions with
real-world ideas and skills to:
•Find better ways of dealing with pain
and fatigue.
•Discover easy exercises to help
improve or maintain strength and energy.
•Manage their medications.
•Improve nutrition.
•Talk effectively with family, friends

and health professionals.
•Understand new treatment choices.
•Feel better about life.
Doege said this is the final workshop funded by a grant M4A received
from the Alabama Department of
Senior Services to promote Living
Well Alabama in M4A’s five-county
region, which includes Chilton, Blount,
Shelby, St. Clair and Walker.
“Our agency does offer a lot of different services to seniors,” Doege said,
Services provide assistance and support for caregivers as well, such as
advocates for nursing home residents.
For more information on Senior
Connection, call coordinator Vanessa
McKinney at (205) 755-9032.
-Story by Emily Beckett

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Wellness 27

HEALTH CALENDAR
2/28 | COLON CANCER AWARNESS

The Chilton County Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a Business After
Hours on Feb. 28 from 4:30-6 p.m. at
Chilton Medical Center to kick off Colon
Cancer Awareness Month. Everyone is
invited.
2/29 | JEFF STATE NURSING

Jefferson State Community College will
hold an advising session for future nursing students on Feb. 29 at 9 a.m. at the
Chilton-Clanton location.
3/2-3 | LIME SPRINGS RELAY FOR
LIFE YARD SALE

Lime Springs United Methodist Church
is having a yard sale March 2-3 from 8
a.m. to 2 p.m. to benefit Relay For Life.
The yard sale will be at 410 Ann Ave.
in the Brookwood Subdivision off Yellow
Leaf Road. There will be furniture, household goods, books, clothing, etc.

3/15 | CMC DIABETIC EDUCATION

The next diabetic education class will be
March 15 at Chilton Medical Center at
10 a.m.
3/17 | ST. PATRICK’S DAY PAGEANT
TO BENEFIT JUVENILE DIABETES

Irish Dream Productions and the Clanton
Police Department Auxiliary/Explorer
Unit presents the annual St. Patrick’s
Day Fairy Tale Charity Beauty Pageant
on March 17 at the Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center on the
campus of Jeff State. Entry cost is $75.
Proceeds benefit juvenile diabetes. For
more information, call 258-5201 or
email irishdreamproductions@yahoo.
com.
3/17 | GET MOVING JEMISON

Get Moving Jemison will begin March
17 at 9 a.m. with a 5k walk/run followed by a health and fitness expo from

10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
3/17 | TIME FOR A CURE BAZAAR

Time for a Cure Arts and Crafts Bazaar
will be March 17 from 7 a.m. to 2
p.m. at Oak Grove Baptist Church, 211
Alabama Highway 155 in Jemison. All
proceeds benefit Relay For Life.
3/17 | MINERAL SPRINGS YARD
SALE FOR RELAY FOR LIFE

Mineral Springs Baptist Church will hold
a yard sale March 17 from 8 a.m. to
2 p.m. in the fellowship hall next to the
church. All proceeds will benefit Relay
For Life. Mineral Springs is located at
8316 County Road 51.
4/14 | MISS YMCA PAGEANT

Chilton County’s annual Miss YMCA
Pageant will be held Saturday, April 14
instead of Saturday, March 3. All proceeds benefit YMCA Strong Kids, an an-

28 Wellness
nual fundraising campaign focused on
providing scholarships to children whose
families cannot pay for them to participate in YMCA programs. The entry fee
for the pageant and photogenic is $45.
The pageant-only fee is $35, and the
photogenic-only fee is $15. Registration
is open until March 30. A parents’ meeting will be April 9.
ONGOING | SENIOR CONNECTION
EXERCISE

Senior Connection holds weekly exercise classes Mondays, Wednesdays
and Thursdays at 9 a.m. at the Clanton
Recreation Center. For more information,
call 755-9032.
SECOND THURSDAY | COMMUNITY
GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP

A community grief support group meets
on the second Thursday of each month
at Hatley Healthcare, 300 Medical
Center Drive in Clanton, from 6:307:30 p.m. This group is open to anyone
who has experienced the loss of a loved

one. This is a community service of
ComfortCare Hospice.
ONGOING | AGING AND
DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER

The Aging and Disability Resource Center assists those 55 and older with disabilities. The center is able to locate the
following resources: dental and hearing,
utility assistance, Medicare/medication
assistance, nutrition/food assistance,
disability advocacy, and housing and
job assistance. Call 1-866-570-2998
to schedule an appointment. A representative is available every second and
fourth Tuesday by appointment only. The
ADRC is located at Chilton Medical
Center.
MONDAYS | CLANTON ALCOHOLICS
ANONYMOUS

Clanton Alcoholics Anonymous meet
each Monday at 7 p.m. at 208 10th
Ave. N. for an open meeting. The organization also meets Thursdays at noon
for a closed meeting (only for those who

have a desire to quit drinking). For more
information, call 205-217-2418 or
256-525-6340.
FOURTH THURSDAY | SOCIAL
SECURITY REPRESENTATIVE IN
TOWN

A Social Security representative will be
present at the Chilton County Department of Human Resources on the fourth
Thursday of each month. You may apply
for a Social Security card or a replacement card. For more information, call
280-2500.
ONGOING | BETTER LIVING CENTER
IN CLANTON

The Better Living Center in Clanton is
sponsoring a series of healthy vegetarian cooking classes starting Tuesday,
Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. This is a hands-on
series in which students cook under the
guidance of an instructor. Classes are
Feb. 23; March 13 and 29; and April
9-22. For more information, call BLC at
(205) 755-5049.

HEALTH BRIEFS
Relay For Life creating
commemorative billboard
Anyone who has lost a loved
one to cancer or who knows a
cancer survivor can honor or memorialize them in a public way.
A special Relay For Life billboard in Chilton County will bear
the names of those affected by
cancer.
“For $50 per name, you can
have the name of your loved one
placed in lights for everyone to
see,” said Aimee Eiland, Relay
chairwoman for Chilton County.
“It’s a great way to celebrate
loved ones who have won their
battle against cancer, remember
those who are no longer with
us and fight back against this
disease that touches so many.”
The Chilton County Board of
Education’s Relay For Life team is
sponsoring the billboard, which
Allen Deason of A&M Outdoor

Advertising is donating.
The location of the billboard is
not known at this time.
All of the proceeds will benefit
the American Cancer Society,
and contributions are tax-deductible.
“Every dollar raised brings us
one dollar closer to a cure and
to a time when the number of
people who have to hear the
words ‘you have cancer’ is zero,”
Eiland said.
The board’s Relay For Life team
has set a goal of 30 names, or
$1,500, for the fundraiser.
The deadline for this fundraiser
is March 1.
Checks made payable to American Cancer Society can be taken
to the Board of Education office
on Lay Dam Road in Clanton.
For more information, contact
team leader Kim McKinney at
(205) 280-2902 or Aimee

Eiland at (205) 280-2910.
Linda Hand named a Hero
of Hope
Amid all the doctor’s appointments, surgeries, treatments and
pain many cancer patients endure, a cancer
survivor – a
living example
of success in
surmounting
this relentless
disease – can
provide hope
where hope
may be runHand
ning out.
Linda Hand
of Clanton is a two-time breast
cancer survivor, and she has
begun planting her seeds of hope
in Chilton County and surrounding areas by sharing her survival
story as a 2011 Hero of Hope

for the American Cancer Society.
“The Heroes of Hope program
provides a highly visible symbol
of personal victory over the
disease, as well as encourages
support and participation in the
programs of the Society,” said
Keisha Pittman, an American
Cancer Society 2010 Hero of
Hope and co-chairwoman of the
2011 Heroes of Hope program.
According to an American
Cancer Society news release,
Hand was one of 20 cancer
survivors and caregivers selected
for the Society’s Mid-South Division, which includes Alabama,
Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Mississippi and Tennessee.
She was one of two American
Cancer Society volunteers selected from Alabama this year.
“It was such an honor for me to
be chosen as one,” Hand said. “I
like to give back to other patients

30 Wellness
if I can. It does give me a good feeling to get
up and talk and let them know that there is life
after cancer.”
Hand turned to the American Cancer Society
for information and support after her diagnosis, and now she is returning the favor.
Hand has served as an ambassador for the
American Cancer Society at two Celebration
on the Hill Relay For Life events in Washington, D.C. She has also served as chairwoman on the Relay For Life planning and
survivorship committees.
“I have been a Reach to Recovery volunteer,
when they partner a breast cancer survivor
with a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient,” she said. “Hero of Hope has given me
a different feeling toward that. I feel that I do
reach out to them more.”
Hand said she is blessed to be cancerfree now, and as a Hero of Hope, she has
already had three opportunities to share her
experiences.
“It is a year-long commitment, but it is a
lifetime honor,” Hand said. “I will always be
a Hero of Hope.”
The Heroes of Hope program is in its fourth
year. Honorees will serve as spokespeople for
the American Cancer Society in their communities, the news release said. Those selected
have triumphed over cancer, made signifi-

cant volunteer contributions to the American
Cancer Society and made an impact in the
lives of others.
“Hearing their stories makes a statement that
progress is being made in cancer research
and prevention, and that there is hope for
the future for people who are diagnosed,”
said Lee Adkins, co-chairwoman of the 2011
Heroes of Hope program, and a 2010 Hero
of Hope.
For more information about the American
Cancer Society, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit
Cancer.org.
ADPH monitors new cases of hand,
foot and mouth disease
The Alabama Department of Public Health
asks the public to be aware that cases of the
contagious viral illness called hand, foot and
mouth disease are more numerous and severe
than normal in Alabama this winter.
No known deaths have resulted from the
virus, although there have been hospitalizations and there can be some rare, severe
complications.
As of Feb. 10, the ADPH has interviewed
patients and collected and submitted specimens to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention for individuals with febrile illnesses
and rash.

Based on the results of testing done by the
CDC, the Coxsackie A6 virus has been identified. This specific type of virus has been identified in other countries but has not previously
been associated with an outbreak in the U.S.
There is no specific treatment for hand, foot
and mouth disease.
The public should not be unduly alarmed at
this time; however, individuals diagnosed with
hand, foot and mouth disease need to follow
the recommendations of their health care
provider to remain at home until they have no
fever, all lesions have scabbed over and no
lesions have appeared for two days.
The viral disease affects the hands, feet and
mouth and usually infects infants and children
younger than 5 years old in summer and early
autumn.
Symptoms are fever, rash, sores, poor appetite, a vague feeling of illness and sore throat;
painful sores in the mouth may blister and
become ulcers; skin rash, flat or raised red
spots, develops over one to two days; rash
usually on the palms of the hands and soles
of the feet and may appear on the knees,
elbows, bottom or genital area.
To prevent the disease from spreading,
ADPH recommends washing hands carefully
and frequently, disinfecting surfaces and
avoiding close contact with infected people.